Together
by cherryvixen416
Summary: Series of one-shots, maybe some two, of my favorite pairing. Requested by Aslan is love. Stories will range from K-T; hoping to avoid M.
1. Speechless

Brianna sat in front of her cinder block house, watching as her step-son Peter played with his younger siblings in the miniature pond that rested nearby. He had been with them since late autumn, and it was now late summer; meaning that it was nearly time for him to leave for Thorn Valley. It still amazed her how much they had grown, especially Timothy, who was now almost as tall as Martin. They were all so close to adulthood now, and she was delighted to know she had lived long enough to see them through childhood.

_If only Jonathan could have_…she thought, lifting her gaze to the heavens. The clouds reflected in her blue eyes as if they were two pieces of the sky themselves. A tear came to her eye, she wiped it away as she remembered that he was up there, watching over his family and keeping them safe.

A now all-too-familiar pain shot through her heart, how she longed to have someone to love her again. A shadow began to form in the grasses she sat near, but she took no notice. She smoothed out the wrinkles from her tattered red shawl, and was about to head into the fields when there was a rustle behind her. She whirled around, and there stood a rat. He was tall and slightly thin, his fur dark brown. His eyes were so dark they were nearly black, but that didn't hide the glimmer in their depths. He was clothed in blue and yellow, a combination she knew well by now.

She started to walk towards him, but she was soon running, her cape flying behind her. He caught her up in his arms, and embraced her lovingly. Tears of joy formed in her eyes. No matter how often she saw him, the times in between felt all too long.

Justin wiped away a tear, his touch so tender she could barely feel it. He rested his hand on her cheek, gazing deeply into her eyes. Mrs. Brisby found that her eyes were locked with his. Before she knew what was happening, she felt his lips resting gently on hers. She had no choice but to subdue to his kiss, and tightened her grip on his shoulders. Her eyes slowly fell shut.

A few blissful moments later, he released the kiss, the corners of his eyes shone slightly with tears. He smiled. He had been in love with her for nearly three years, and only now was he able to gather up the courage to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and rested her head on his shoulder; the cloth of his tunic felt soft as a cloud against her cheek. He ran his hand through her hair, laughing slightly as she nuzzled his neck.

Peter stopped playing, and looked over to where Justin and his step-mother were. Teresa came up beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He turned to her. She looked like she wanted to say something, but he quickly silenced her with an upraised hand. Martin, Cynthia, and Timothy stopped laughing when they noticed that Peter and Teresa were standing near the bank of the pond, gazing at what was going on by the cinder-block house. The three gave one another questioning looks, then went over to see what was so interesting. They reached their siblings as Justin and their mother shared another kiss, completely unaware of their audience.

Justin whispered something into her ear, something the children couldn't pick up. She gazed at him, seemingly surprised for a moment, but then a smile spread across her beautiful face. She gave a slow, delicate nod, causing a charming grin to grow on Justin's lips. He kissed her passionately, never wanting the moment to end. The children all gasped as one, what had he said?

Their cry caused Justin and Brianna to look up and face them. The two groups stared at each other, wide-eyed in surprise, and knocked _speechless._


	2. His Wounded Heart

She had spent six years in her new home. Her children were happy, but she had just recently gotten over her husband's death, and had all but forgotten his friends. It was close to Christmas, and she was spending the day with some friends, trying to find gifts for family. Tania and Jenny had stopped outside the windows of a clothing store, the sisters whispering to themselves that they would take a break to try some things on. Annica almost followed them, but then she saw something glimmer on the sidewalk, a bit of silver lodged in the snow. She knelt down to get a better look, only to have a hand fall over hers.

"Oh," she looked up, seeing a pair of dark eyes. They seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she had seen them before. "Do I…know you?"

He smiled. "Why, Annica," he said, bringing her up. "I'm surprised you don't remember."

She knew that voice. "J-Justin," she whispered. "Is that really you?"

He smiled again, pulling her close. "Oh, Justin," she gladly returned his embrace. "I thought I'd never see you again."

He shrugged. "Some things have come up," he said quietly, grin gone from his lips. She felt his hands tighten on her waist, and glanced up to see that they stood beneath a small bit of plant. She blushed, but kept her hands clasped behind his head. She found she enjoyed being in his arms, even more when his lips rested on hers. She could hear her friends giggling at the store window, but decided to ignore them. He pulled away a bit too soon for her liking, but his face remained close as he hissed, "Are you free this evening?"

She smiled, and nodded. Justin released her, shoving his hands in his pockets as two women came from the store. "I'll see you tonight," he told her, then turned and walked away. The twins watched until he was lost to the crowd, then began questioning Annica.

"Who was that?" Jenny asked first. Annica only shrugged, face still burning.

"Just an old friend," she said quietly. Her eyes were glued to the snow at her feet. No need to explain how they had met. She ignored the rest of their questions, but followed them back into the store.

_Later that evening…_

She sighed in bliss, watching the flames dance in the fireplace. Justin had one arm wrapped around her, his free hand staying near his pants pocket. He had planned on taking her for a walk, but a nasty snowstorm forced them to stay inside, and had knocked out the electricity. She had spent about five minutes shivering, until Justin placed his jacket around her shoulders. The fabric was very warm, and though she had protested, he assured her that he didn't need it.

"I don't get cold easily," he told her. By then he had made the fire, and now the jacket lay discarded on the back of the couch. She smiled, moving closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. His body was harder than it had been six years ago, more heavily muscled, scars visible from beneath his thin shirt.

"What have you been doing all this time?" she asked, trying to keep her eyes on his face.

"I've…kinda lost track," he said sheepishly. He sensed her confusion, and decided that it was time to tell her. He looked away, breathing deeply, feeling like a betrayer.

"Justin," she whispered. He felt her hand tighten on his arm, but he still wouldn't look at her. "Is there something you need to tell me?"

"It…It's about Jonathan," he said at last, and gave a deep sigh. "It happened when we were teenagers. I was in my room, looking for something, when I heard some strange sounds from downstairs. I looked, and there was Jon, standing above my parents with a gun in his hand; apparently he had shot them both."

Annica was stunned into silence. She'd been able to accept that her husband had been a thief, but was he also a killer? "Did anyone else believe you?"

"You're the first one I've told," he said, finally looking at her. "He said he would kill me if I told anyone, and at the time I had no choice but to listen. But that was before either of us met up with the Rats, before he…"

"What?" she asked, moving closer. He shook his head.

"Never mind," he hissed. "I-It's not important. Anyway," he continued, clearing his throat. "After he met you he changed completely. Most of us encouraged him to stay with you, but there were some who wanted him to stop, but he wouldn't listen."

"What do you mean?" she asked, sounding scared. "Justin, what are you talking about?"

He was silent, then again took a long breath. "We went to the crash site after the accident," he said quietly. "At first, it looked like just that, an accident, but then I noticed the holes in his rear tires, and later I found a pair of spent casings along the road. I had no way to test them ballistically, but they were similar to ones I had seen before…" he trailed off, unwilling to continue. Annica sat in silence, trying to digest what he had just said. Her husband had murdered his best friend's parents, but then had been killed in a tragic accident that was starting to look like a professional hit.

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I didn't think I had the right. I mean, we had just met, and…" again he stopped, but for a far different reason. "But that wasn't really what I wanted to tell you." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a slim silver chain. He draped it around her neck, clasping it beneath her hair. Resting on it was a heart, with the words _I love you_ etched into the back. She gasped, unable to believe it. She stared at him, recalling their kiss, the feeling that had filled her since that morning.

"Oh, Justin," she fell on his chest, holding him tightly as tears of joy dripped from her eyes. He tilted her chin back with his hand, wiping them away, bringing her face closer to his. Their eyes met for barely a second, closing the moment their lips touched. Only this kiss was different. It was full of a passion she hadn't felt for six years, had been missing since the last night she had spent with her husband. But she would never know that she was Justin's first love, and was destined to be his last; the only one able to capture his wounded heart.


End file.
